The Leicestershire Junior Tennis Awards were presented at the new Leicester Grammar school by special guests Mike Harrison and up and coming Leicester Tigers star, Matt Everard, on Sunday 28th November. There was a fantastic turn out, as hundreds of proud parents, competitors and tennis fans watched the elite of the county pick up their honours.
The two most prestigious awards of the afternoon were; Team Player of the Year and Club of the Year, which were both very closely run contests. Clubs had nominated a number of outstanding candidates for Team Player of the Year, and a panel from Tennis Leicestershire had picked the eventual winner. Two names stood out from the rest: Ben Minski of Oadby, who led by example throughout the season and showed great commitment and enthusiasm towards his club, and Lorna Tansley of Victoria. Lorna has been a real asset to the club throughout the season. If she is not playing for Victoria, then she is helping with coaching and has even assisted in organising adult social evenings. For these reasons the award for Team Player of the Year went to Lorna, whose devotion and dedication to the club is unmatched.
The final award of the afternoon was the Barry Rees Shield for Club of the Year. This was awarded on the overall number of winner and runner-up finishes in all team age groups and divisions. The winning club with five teams winning their division, and two teams finishing runners-up, was Kibworth.
Everyone involved in Leicestershire tennis has a lot to be proud of though, as the county is currently ranked fifth in the country for regularly competing juniors.
Report by Laurence Kelly